William ball



WILLIAM BALL, OF CHICOPLEE, MASSACHUSETTS.

Letters-Patent No. 76,381, dated April 7, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN STEAMGENERATORS dite Srlgiule refermiu in time fter zittut'mrt making not nt tigt time.,

T0 ALL WHOMv IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, WIILLIAM BALL, of Chicopee, in the county of Hampden, and Commonwealth of Massachusctts,.have invented a new and use fulImproveinent in Steam-Boilers; and I do hereby declare that the following isafull, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making apart of this vspecication, and to the letters of reference markedthereon, in which- Figurel is a side elevation of la steam-boiler. p

Figure' 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through iig. 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section through the lin'e FG, iig. 1.

Figure 4 is an end'elevation of saidboiler.`

Figure h5 is a sectional view, on a scale of one-eighth of full size, showing three water-tubes and the superincu'mbent {ire-brick.; and i Figured is atplan view of saidv tubes and tire-brick on the same scale.

My inventionrelates toa certain construction of, the upper part of the tire-boxof astationary horizontal'- lue steam-boiler, vandzconsist's of a series of pater-tubes, extending across theto'pvof there-box, either longitudinally .or -laterallynand' connecting the waterispaces at each end oi' the fire-bon, or at each side of the same, and further, of a layer 'of fire-brick, so constructed as to reistrs'ecurel'ynpon -snch Water-tubes, and forin a top for the fire-box, in pla'ceoi` the crown-'sheet and appurtenances generally used to cover 'the ire-.box of boilers.

The constructiou'of my invention is as follows: The body B ot' the stationary horizontal-due steam-boiler? shown: with its iirebox A and .smoke-chamber@ is siiililai` to an ordinary steam-boiler in all respects, except in the `application of my invention to'tbe upper. part of the {ire-box. 'lhe sides z'z" of thewater-spac'e c', around the fire-box, 4are made I to meet at the'upper edges, and form a .tight joint at It h, instead .of being continued over the .ireboX/,in the form of acrown-sheet and "outer shelb The water-tubesQc-c, formed-of thick boiler-iron, nre then inserted atv equal distances apart, as shown in'iigs. Zand 3, being'placedbeloivthe proper water-line.- Oe end ofthe tubes enters the inner plate e" .ofthe water-lining, at the frontend of the fire-box, and the other end enters the plateau-ofthe rearc such box, the joints being made water and steam-tight, .in the. usual man` ner of inserting and fastening ilnesf'in steam-boilers The size of the tubes, relatively to the capacity of the boiler, ivhichl'. have 'found eicient, will appear from 'an examination of-figs.l 2 and 3, the scale in those-figures being three-Yeigh'ths-of one inch tothe foct,sbut the-same may he varied according to the use to 'which the boiler is to berput,l-and variousother`- circumstances.` In general, I propose to make the water-tubes of such a diam` eter, andi-9o use. such 'a number of tubes, as to alordas nuch ,or more heatingsnrface in the top of the 'rbox' as would. be obtained by the use of a crown-shect.

The tubes ce, instead of runningl lengthwise of the tire-box, as shown, may be arranged laterally or freni side toidje vofthe `tire-box,"beingplaced below the iraterlineof thebo'ler, in `either case,v and` so nthat a free circulation.of'the waterof the-boiler :through the -tubes 'c' `c,.ian,d tv aterspaees c", will be allowed. Upon the Watcntubes'e cI'plalce hre-brick b b, the length of each brick being` equal to the distance between the axes of two adjacent tubes',- and the breadth being suitable for such4 length. The lower edges of the ends of each 1brick'- are rcmoved, and"a concave depression or groove formed at theilower edges, as shown in tig- 5. The

curve-.of 'the concave grooveis auch that the fire-brick cornes in contact with the upper partonly of the water ltubo c,'thus leaving nearly the entire-surface of the latterexpose'dtothe heat, while the under surfacefef the brick is about cna level'fwith r'thecentreA of thewaterftube. Ihave foundL it desirable to construct the re brick ofsu'ch ,diinension's'that their: edges do not nl eet above. the Water-tubes, sothtany' slight irregularities in the edges will notLpreventthe brick from going to place rearlily The interstices between the bricks are'to be' -lled vvvith ir-clay`orother suitable material. Y

' I am' aware that other tire-resisting substances may beproperly shaped and then used-in place of the lire-brick described, b utl preferfthe fire-,brichas' being easily moulded in the desired, form, durable, and readilyfitted in place. The space Aabove 4the refbrick is opento the air, s o that the brickY c an be removed and renewed at' 'any time, and it isevide'nt'that the #hole-(operation of replacing ,thebrick whengneedfulis so simple and speedy that it can be'performed byany unskilled person, and'while steamis up in the boiler, if necessary.

By the use ot'. the described arrangement of water-tubesand fire-brick, the .construction of steam-boilers is maal 2 m'uch simplified, inasmuch as the crown-sheet, with its numerous stays, is.4 dispense'with, and its place supplied by amuch more durablev and simple device. lIh actual operation, the fire-brick acts with great eicacy 'to reflect the heatl dewnwarfl `upon the fuel, causing it to ignite on top as well as at the bottom and steam- -beilers, the fire-boxes' ef., whieh ere provid-ed with said imprevement, have shown increased capacity for gen r erating stem.' It will be evident,also, that the chnc'es of explosion or collapse in suse d gretly lessened by dispensing with the crown-sheet. l

` Having thus describedmy inyentien, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. h a. stationary horizontal-flue boiler, @lire-box, m'ade open from bttom totop, and with'outsa, crown-sheet. 2. .I claim the'water-tubesc c, e'xteudingfacros's the upper part of the llire-box, fand entering the water- Spaces at the sides or ends Vof the fire-box, as described, incombination with u entering of fire-brick, or other like mteriel, the Whole arranged' and'operating substantially as described, and constitutinga substitute for the crown-sheet used o ver'the re-box of stationary steem-boilers. y Y I f low water are WM. BALL. Witnesses:

T; A. Genus, .E. P, BALL. 

